10 Best Natural Beauty Buys at the Drugstore

Natural beauty products can be spendy. Here are the best ones you can buy on the cheap

Foundation: Almay Wake-Up Hydrating Makeup SPF 13, $12.99 Don't be fooled by packaging, says Spunt. "A lot of mainstream lines know that more women want cleaner products, so they'll throw their products into green-colored bottles, put leaves on them, and talk about how they've removed one ingredient -- but that doesn't mean the product is much cleaner than its original formula." You don't need to be an expert in this stuff, she says. Just turn the bottle around and if you see a lot of X's, Y's, and numbers, you're not looking at a clean product.

For example, CoverGirl NatureLuxe sounds like a great organic line -- but when you read the ingredient list, you'll find the products have synthetic fragrances and talc -- both of which are not natural, says O'Connor.

Their pick? Almay Wake-Up Hydrating Makeup SPF 13, a powdered mineral-based makeup. "Just be careful of the application," says O'Connor. "Mineral makeup has titanium dioxide, which is a carcinogen, so it can be harmful if inhaled. It's OK to use on your skin since it doesn’t absorb through the skin at all. But if you're putting it on with a big fluffy brush, you're going to be inhaling more than you're wearing."

The solution: O'Connor and Spunt recommend mixing the mineral makeup with your day cream, and applying it on your face with your fingers. "You still get incredible coverage, but it won't look chalky," says Spunt.

Very good, practical advice. I'm a huge fan of the Burt's Bees tinted lip balms -- I currently own 4 colors. They're good alone, or to wear under other less-than-moisturizing lip products. The Lavera self-tanner looks like a product I might be able to use without my usual itchy reaction.